Capitals face tough climb to playoffs with condensed schedule

“It’s going to be tough,” forward Marcus Johansson said. “No we’re not there and we still have games to do it on. It’s not over yet. We’re not going to give up until the end. We’ve got to keep trying and keep working.”

Even strong performances that lead to losses aren’t worth much anymore. But players think they can clean positives nonetheless.

“I think hopefully some game the puck will start bouncing our way and we will get some good bounces and get some confidence from it that will give us a little boost,” Johansson said.